"Trumpeter Ted Daniel's Energy Module was a short-lived band. They played exactly two gigs in the course of one week in the fall of 1975-and never played again. They gelled quickly as a quintet, however, in large part because everyone knew each other from working in Daniel's big band, Energy. However, the Energy Module was a less formal affair than the large ensemble, in which they played Daniel's original compositions and arrangements. "We had a couple of rehearsals and played through the tunes, but our main focus was on collective and individual improvisation," Daniel says. "We were getting ready to take care of business."

And they took care of business with a vengeance, as you can hear on this recording of their second and final performance. It's the sort of loose-knit, pull-out-all-the-stops blowing session that took place nightly on New York's Lower East Side in the 197os. But November 8, 1975, at Sunrise Studio was much more than an ordinary night in the lofts. Ted Daniel, Oliver Lake, Daniel Carter, Richard Pierce, and Tatsuya Nakamura stoked the cathartic fires of free jazz to a white-hot intensity and made it a special night indeed."-Ed Hazell

"Ted Daniel's Observations on the Music

First Set

"Jiblet" is a Sunny Murray composition that I used to play while in his band. The melody is a simple sing-song tune, something akin to a nursery rhyme. Tatsuya plays his quarter drums (which he designed) along with his regular trap set on the melody as well as supplying a backbeat that gives the reading a soulful feeling. The improvisation is an energetic collective effort with the three horns playing off each other's energy.

"Innerconnection" is by Dewey Redman and I played it often while in his band. The line is played in unison until the end, at which time the horns answer one another with a short phrase before repeating the unison line. We begin the improvisation with a collective effort and then take solos with the rhythm team. I lead off followed by Oliver. Solos are accompanied by horn players commenting at will as well as horn players utilizing percussion instruments behind the soloist. Daniel Carter's high wail behind my trumpet solo is particularly haunting and he is joined by Oliver at one point during the solo, which was inspiring. Oliver solos on soprano sax. As background, I play several long tones on French hunting horn. Danny takes the third solo on tenor and is pushed by my vocal incantations, French hunting horn, and Moroccan bugle (Khakhai). Oliver joins with low blasts from his alto as Danny continues to burn through his solo. Tatsuya and Pierce also burn right through to the end of Danny's solo and Oliver picks up his flute to cool things down a little before we find our way out with the closing unison line.

I composed "Probe" with the Apollo ii lunar landing in 1969 in mind. The melody is structured around a whole tone scale. Pierce has a pedal throughout and Tatsuya utilizes his tom-toms and mallets. Oliver leads off with a very expressive solo, sounding like the human voice at times. I enter playing some harmonics on the flugelhorn and utilize the whole tone scale, referring back to the melody often. I take the melody out after my solo, ending on a dissonant chord to leave the piece unresolved.

We start Albert Ayler's "Ghosts" with a collective improvisation in which I and the other horns introduce the melody intermittently and Tatsuya and Pierce supply the energy. The performance takes on the characteristic of what happens in some Black churches in the US. Danny Carter's tenor work is particularly inspired and inspiring on this track. Albert Ayler's music has always been an inspiration to me and I especially enjoy this composition.

Second Set

"Entering" is meant to be an intro to the two pieces that follow. Pierce starts off with a bass solo accompanied by the drums, after which Oliver enters on alto for an extended solo. Danny and I briefly join him before we all play Ornette Coleman's "Congeniality." I solo first with the two horns quoting and answering my statements throughout my solo. Danny has an extended second solo on tenor. Tatsuya employs his quarter drums throughout and Oliver alternates from cowbell to birdlike piccolo behind Danny. Trumpet and alto enter toward end of the tenor solo and bass and tenor end together to move into my composition, "Pagan Spain." I play an intro on trumpet with the Harmon mute and switch to open flugelhorn to play the melody and improvise with bass and percussion. I incorporate some harmonics to create tension and contrast during my solo. The composition ends with tenor and alto softly commenting in support of my rendering of the melody."-Ted Daniels